Deputy GOP Chair runs for state House seat

WOODBURY, Minn. (AP) — The deputy chairwoman of Minnesota's Republican Party says she'll run for an open state House seat in Woodbury.

Kelly Fenton filed paperwork Friday to run for House District 53B. It's the seat being vacated by Republican state Rep. Andrea Kieffer, who is stepping down after two terms.

Fenton is a former public schoolteacher, and has been deputy chair of the state Republican Party since December 2011.

The suburban district east of St. Paul has long been seen as a political swing area, and has sent both Republicans and Democrats to the state Capitol.

The district already has an announced Democratic candidate in Kay Hendrickson, a member of the Woodbury Planning Commission who also works in the State Ombudsman's Office for Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.